The upcoming second season of a British crime drama will be partly set in Malta and feature Maltese actors.
Karen Pirie is a British crime drama starring Lauren Lyle as the title character, a detective-sergeant with Police Scotland, and is based on the novels of author Val McDermid.
The plot of season 2, consisting of three episodes, centres on Pirie reopening a cold case from the 1980s involving the kidnapping of a woman and her child.
The episodes – the first of which premieres today on ITV – are set over two timelines, with Malta featuring in the present day. Filming took place at a number of locations across the country, including Valletta, Cottonera and Mellieħa.
The show stars local actors Sarah Naudi and Edward De Gaetano as a local detective and police officer respectively.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Naudi said she relished working in Malta, having moved to London when she was 15 to pursue her acting career.
The Maltese crew was so experienced and professional
“It was great coming back to places I’d known in a different life. There was a mix of Maltese and foreign crew, which was lovely – everyone worked together really well. The Maltese crew was so experienced and professional,” she said.
“Working with people like Lauren Lyle was also amazing – she’s so calm and bubbly but totally professional. I learned a lot from just watching her work. Most of my scenes were with her.”
Naudi enjoyed playing a Maltese character for the first time.
“Usually I get cast as French, Italian, South American and so on. Recently I also graduated to British.”
The poster of the seriesThe actor added that being typecast was a common issue for Maltese actors in the UK.
“I have friends who struggle because of their look or accent. It’s frustrating because acting should be about playing other people but we’re often expected to play ourselves.”
Asked what advice she would give to local actors looking to move abroad to further their careers, Naudi said the high cost of drama schools should not deter people.
“Nowadays there are a lot of online resources, such as acting courses on Masterclass, which feature lessons by actors like Samuel L. Jackson. But if you can get a scholarship to go to a school, absolutely go for it.”